FORUM
romanticism with which they are
portrayed is pure fiction.
DEBBIE FEWTRELL
Prees,England
I think the life of the Gypsies in
Slovakia is more complex than
pictured in the article. There is
virtually no illiteracy among the
adult Roma in Slovakia. There
are successful musicians, entre
preneurs, a professional Roma
theater, and a department of
Roma culture and education,
with Roma students and profes
sors, at the University of Con
stantine the Philosopher in
Nitra. It is a shame that 100,000
people live in conditions like
Hermanovce, but it is not only
the scarcity of the state's finances.
It is also the lack of will of the
population to change its destiny.
ANTON HRNKO
Former member ofParliament
Stupava, Slovakia
As an American female member
of an oppressed race, I have sym
pathy for the Roma. I can under
stand intensely how they must
feel when they are discrimi
nated against. But the practice
of wealthy Gypsies looking down
on their own people must end.
They should be doing all they
can to help their fellow Roma,
just as some African Americans,
Hispanics, and other minorities
help their own.
CARMEN SMITH
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tomasz Tomaszewski's photo
graph of the beautiful dancer on
pages 88-9 dancing her heart out
in that cafe gives new meaning to
the word "life."
ROGER DUBOIS
Dieppe,New Brunswick
Pursuing the Minke
Your article missed the essential
point about why the United
States opposes the resumption of
commercial whaling. The official
U.S. position has been that an
international regulatory regime
is required before commercial
whaling can start again. But both
the Norwegians and Japanese
balked at putting the necessary,
tough regulations in place.
Douglas Chadwick quotes the
Norwegians as asking why the
U.S. tolerates whaling by natives
but criticizes Norway. The an
swer is that the native whaling is
done under an internationally
agreed-on protocol. The hunt is
At this rate this unique
coastal population of
minke whales is
expected to decline
toward extinction over
the next few decades,
despite the ostensible
moratorium on whaling.
carefully regulated and noncom
mercial. You also make a com
mon mistake when you say the
estimate of allowable Minke har
vest is "ultraconservative." Yes,
the number proposed is less than
one percent of stocks, but it is
not ultraconservative. The allow
able harvest is the best estimate
for sustainable whaling. In the
past lower quotas were not fol
lowed, and we saw the devasta
tion of many species.
D. JAMES BAKER
Former U.S . Commissioner,
InternationalWhaling Commission
Washington, D.C .
Thanks to NATIONAL GEO
GRAPHIC for bringing attention
to the continued exploitation
of minke whales. However, it is
misleading to say that minke
whales were "never seriously
depleted." This ignores the status
and threats to different minke
species, subspecies, and regional
populations. DNA testing of
whale meat sold in Japanese and
Korean markets has shown that
many of these products origi
nate from a genetically distinct
population of minke whales
found in the East Sea (Sea of
Japan). Although Korea has no
official whaling program, com
mercial markets are supplied
with meat from whales drowned
incidentally in fishing nets. The
Korean government reported
that more than 120 minke
whales were killed as fisheries
bycatch in coastal waters in
1996. Estimates from DNA
testing suggest that a similar
number of minke whales from
this population are sold annually
in Japan. At this rate this unique
coastal population of minke
whales is expected to decline
toward extinction over the next
few decades, despite the ostensi
ble moratorium on whaling.
C. SCOTT BAKER
New Zealand Delegate to the
Scientific Committee of the
InternationalWhaling Commission
Auckland, New Zealand
ZipUSA: Harlem, New York
Amid a world of off-key themes,
I found "Lookin' Good in Har
lem" to be hip and in time-in
time, hopefully, to preserve a
genuine piece of American
history and culture.
MIKE VINSON
McMinnville, Tennessee
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